Born in Nagchu, Central Tibet, a village at an altitude of 14,000 feet with year round ice and snow, he lived with his nomadic family. At the age of ten he entered Orbak Monastery, where he learned to read and write. He was ordained as a novice monk at 13 and memorized sutras ritual prayers and pujas , and learned how to build mandalas and play ritual instruments. He studied Tibetan grammar, poetry and astrology. In 1953, he traveled to the capital of Lhasa and entered Sera, one of the three great monastic universities in Tibet, and home to 7,200 monks. It was the Junior Tutor of the Dalai Lama who fully ordained him as a monk. His contemporaries at Sera were Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa, founders of Tse Chen Ling.

In 1959, during the cultural revolution, chinese troops shelled Sera. Geshe La's life hung on a thread for days. When he learned that the Dalai Lama had fled, he decided to follow and escaped to India. He continued his studies at the Sanskrit University in Benares (Varanasi), where he earned an M.A. with honors. Invited by the Queen of Sikkim to teach Tibetan at the University of Sikkim, he ended up staying for 20 years before returning to Sera Je monastery in South India to gain his Geshe degree. At the top of his class, he became an expert in Dharma (Buddha's teachings), astrology, Tibetan education, grammar and poetry, as well as in philosophy. Before coming to San Francisco he was resident teacher at the FPMT Center in Taipei, Taiwan.

Refuge Ceremony and AdviceRefuge Ceremony What does it means to take refuge in the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma and Sangha), and the essential practices of refuge. Includes thee ceremony for taking the vows and their role in enhancing our spiritual growth.http://www.archive.org/details/Tse_Chen ... e_20040822

Ten Kadampa Geshes-Stories of Buddhist Practioners - Ven. Geshe Ngawang DakpaTen Kadampa Geshes Stories of Buddhist Practitioners The Kadampa Geshes were an amazing and dedicated group committed to attaining enlightenment at all costs. Their stories still serve as inspiration today, many hundreds of years after their time. This particular teaching showcases these forefathers of the Gelug traditionhttp://www.archive.org/details/Tse_Chen ... s_20050626

Daily Practice in Tibetan Buddhism Daily Practice in Tibetan Buddhism Ven. Geshe Ngawang Dakpa provides an overview of spiritual practice from our waking moments to the end of the day. He describes the basic practices that comprise the morning session; practices we take into the routines of our daily lives; and closing out the daily activities.http://www.archive.org/details/Tse_Chen ... e_20050705

Stages of the Path—, Lamrim Stages of the PathLamrim Special Insight "With study comes understanding; but this must be put to use. It is therefore vital to put as much as one can of what one has studied into practice." The Stages of the Path (lam.rim) is the celebrated synthesis of the essential teachings of sutra, from guru devotion and renunciation up to supreme altruism and the view of the Middle Way. Based on the classical Middling Lam.rim studied in monasteries, these teachings are easy to understand and applyhttp://www.archive.org/details/Tse_Chen ... s_20051120

How to Make a Mandala Offering When Buddhist practitioners make a mandala offering, they are offering the universe to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. One can imagine this universe as spectacular as one can, offering all that is precious to oneself. Geshe Dakpa explains the practice offering hands on advice in this visualization practice.

Applying the Five Forces Applying the Five Forces Often these are referred to In Tibetan Buddhism, as practices relating to the time of death; however they are practices to be cultivated throughout one's life. Reciting the names of the buddhas, reciting mantras, reciting certain sutras; meditating on emptiness; making offerings; and anything done in relation to images. Here Geshe Dakpa provides simple and practical advice to carry out the five forceshttp://www.archive.org/details/Tse_Chen ... s_20040829

Seven Limb PrayerThe seven lines of this prayer help us to purify our negative emotions and actions and to accumulate a wealth of positive potential. From prostrations, offering, confessing to requesting our teachers to teach and to stay, this concise yet simple prayer is a powerful tool for our daily practice.http://www.archive.org/details/Tse_Chen ... r_20040708

Relying on the Spiritual TeacherThe basis of the achievement of any goal, whether one seeks to become a pianist or a painter, is one's teacher. This is profoundly true in Tibetan Buddhism where it is taught that the Spiritual Teacher is the foundation of all of our qualities and devotion to this teacher is the fuel for progression and attainments upon the path. Geshe Dakpa, leads us through the traditional Tibetan approach to finding, investigating, serving and devoting oneself to a Spiritual Teacher.http://www.archive.org/details/Tse_Chen ... r_20040803

Emptiness for Beginners "Emptiness is dependent arising; dependent arising is emptiness." Geshe Dakpa provides an overview of the unique Buddhist philosophy of emptiness; the lack of inherent existence of self and phenomena. Conjoined with the understanding of dependent arising, the view can begin to change our experiencehttp://www.archive.org/details/Tse_Chen ... s_20050731

Introduction to Kalachakra Kalachakra Introduction Kalachakra means Time-Wheel, as "Kala" is Sanskrit for Time and "Cakra" (or Chakra) is Wheel in Sanskrit. One could also translate it as Time-Cycles. Much in this tradition revolves around the concept of time and cycles: from the cycles of the planets, to the cycles of our breath and the practice of controlling the most subtle energies within one's body on the path to enlightenmenthttp://www.archive.org/details/Tse_Chen ... a_20040422

Four Noble TruthsFour Noble Truths The Four Noble Truths were taught by the Buddha in his first teaching of the Dharma after his actual enlightenment. Known as the truth of suffering; the cause of suffering, the cessation of suffering and the path to the cessation of suffering, these basic doctrines form the backbone of all Buddhist traditions.http://www.archive.org/details/Tse_Chen ... PI_06_2004

8 Verses of Thought Transformation Eight Verses of Thought Transformation This mind training (lojong) text goes back over 800 years following the introduction of the Kadampa School by Atisha when Geshe Langri Tangpa set down these extremely profound teachings in brief formhttp://www.archive.org/details/Tse_Chen ... ses_052104

Karma— Law of Cause and Effect KarmaThe Law of Cause and Effect "What goes around comes around" is a simple idea of how what we do now becomes what kind of experience we have later. The Buddha taught that Karma is the true creator of our world and ourselves so if we truly understand what this means we can create the world we want. Karma, Cause and Effect, Reincarnation, Morality, Virtues, Nonvirtues, Four Opponent Powers, Actions, Resultshttp://www.archive.org/details/Tse_Chen ... a_20050405

Death, Intermediate State, and RebirthThree Basic BodiesDeath, intermediate state and rebirth underpin samsara, the condition of repeated rebirth impelled by previous action and delusion. But they are also the three basic bodies of Highest Yoga Tantra practice, forming the bases for altruistic transformation into the Truth, Enjoyment and Emanation Bodies of a Buddha. This transformation is brought about by means of simulating in meditation the stages of the death process that result in manifestation of the clear light mind.http://www.archive.org/details/Tse_Chen ... dies_03_04

Four Opponent Powers, Practice of Purifying Negative Actions To purify our negative karma we must practice the four opponent powers: the power of regret, the power of reliance, the power of remedy, and the power of resolve. Within these four, one begins by reflecting on regret; the awareness that actions we have committed bring suffering to ourselves and others. We further identify the reliance (or refuge) of one such as the Buddha, who inspires us with his example; with the power of remedy we commit ourselves to a practice which alleviates the results of the actions we have done. We complete with the power of resolve resolving not to repeat those actions which bring suffering to ourselves and others.http://www.archive.org/details/Tse_Chen ... s_20040711

Grounds and Paths of Secret Mantra Grounds and Paths of Secret Mantra Restricted to those with Highest Yoga Tantra empowerment. "In brief, the Buddhahood achieved over countless eons, you will attain in this birth, through the most excellent bliss, or the state of Vajradhara." An overview of the structure of the tantric path. Tantra distinguishes itself in particular through a unique combination of method and wisdomhttp://www.archive.org/details/Tse_Chen ... s_20051130

Karma and the Mental Afflictions Karma and the Mental Afflictions (Kleshas) Geshe Dakpa provides an overview of how Karma (the law of cause and effect) works and what Kleshas (mental afflictions or disturbing emotions)are. Karma and Kleshas keep us in suffering, but can be purified and eliminated altogether the result is full enlightenment.http://www.archive.org/details/Tse_Chen ... sha_200508

Refuge Ceremony and AdviceWhat does it means to take refuge in the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma and Sangha), and the essential practices of refuge. Includes the ceremony for taking the vows and their role in enhancing our spiritual growth.http://www.archive.org/details/GD_RefugeSunday_20070812